A DeAth in Your FAmilY - City of Prince George

notice in the newspaper to arranging catering
for the reception.
Prices for funeral services vary widely. All
funeral providers must display a current price
list of the services and products they offer. If
you ask for prices over the phone, they must
provide them to you.
Some funeral homes have a compassionate
policy when a child has died.
When you meet with the funeral home
staff to make the arrangements, make sure
you know what you are purchasing and
consider whether it really is what you want.
While some services provided will be basic
legal requirements, other services are
optional, such as embalming.
Often the funeral home will have expenses
related to the funeral, such as fees for the
cemetery or cremation, death certificates, and
clergy. Some funeral homes require you to pay
for those items prior to the funeral service.
• If you pay the funeral home directly, you
must wait until after the estate is settled to
receive reimbursement.
• If you ask the funeral home for an invoice,
you can take it to the bank; they will pay
the funeral home directly from your loved
one’s account. The bank may wish to see a
copy of the Death Certificate and the Will,
if there is one.
If the family member served in the
Canadian Armed Forces and had absolutely
no assets, you may be able to get help with
funeral expenses from the Last Post Fund.
This national non-profit organization
provides grants to the spouse or family of a
deceased veteran toward funeral and burial
or cremation costs when the estate cannot
afford to pay.
Veterans include war veterans, merchant
mariners, and qualified civilians. See
“Resources” on page 18 for contact details
for the Last Post.
The price for the funeral service does not
include sale of a cemetery lot (a grave, crypt,
or niche) or sale of a memorial marker
(headstone, tombstone, monument, or
plaque). You must arrange for these separately.
Often, the funeral home will assist you.
The prices of cemetery lots and memorial
markers vary widely. Before purchasing a
marker, make sure it meets the requirements
of the cemetery you have selected. Most
memorial dealers can tell you the
requirements for local cemeteries.
The cremated remains are returned to the
executor or person who has the legal authority
to control the disposition of the cremated
remains. As long as the cremated remains are
treated with respect, the law does not limit
what you can do with them. You can scatter
the remains, keep them at home, take them
overseas, put them in a garden on private
property, or inter them in a cemetery.
If permitted by municipal bylaws, the
remains can be scattered on land, sea, or air
or in any place that has personal meaning.
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